The Korean Wave Matters: K-Pop Band BTS and the Providence

Dr. Incheol Son is the International Director of PWPA International and also works at SunHak Universal Peace Graduate University as a translator. He earned his Ph.D. in public administration from Kookmin University, an MBA from the University of Bridgeport, and his bachelor’s in theology from SunMoon University.

Recently, a Korean boy band hit the world stage and many of
the youth generation have fallen in love with them. They’ve become so famous
that even this band of seven boys was surprised to see the global level of
reaction to their performances, far more than they anticipated.

The band is BTS. Their name comes from the English acronym
of 방탄소년단
or BangTan Sonyeondan, literally “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” in
Korean. They won the Billboard Music Awards for Top Social Artist for the past
three years. They are almost like the Second Coming of the Beatles, at least
for our present generation of young people.

This year, at least 100,000 fans in each city they toured
turned out. In particular, they filled Wembley Stadium where Queen performed
live in 1985. Their fans have created a kingdom-like quasi-religion of their
own. On the Internet, such as YouTube, the band’s fan club is called the ARMY.

Fans are especially amazed by the dramatic growth of the
band. Their production company was not one of the three major companies in
South Korea. As they sang in “Silver Spoon/Baepsae,” there used to be a golden
rule in the South Korean entertainment industry: a band should be promoted by
one of the top three K-Pop companies to gain global popularity. But, BTS
started at the bottom. And none of the seven boys was from the capital, Seoul.

They were initially ignored after their debut because their
music was totally different from prevailing trends. But because of that ignorance
they went on to win the Billboard award, as sung in “DDaeng.” The boys show
their fans a humble attitude while singing “I Need U,” “Best of Me” and
“Illegal/Dimple.” And they recently released the song, “Boy With Luv,”
dedicated to their fans.

BTS is known to write their own lyrics and sometimes compose
their own songs and also produce. They’re so talented, but that was not always
the case. Their abilities came from hard work and desperation. This point is
confessed in their autobiographical song, “We are the Bulletproof.” So, one of
their attractions is they not only disclose what they suffer from and criticize
what seems unfair in society, but encourage people to overcome those
difficulties and look for real nature, eventually to find hope.

They surely make their fans passionate with their songs in
their own “Magic Shop.” They sing about not only those issues most young people
struggle with every day, as heard in the song “War of Hormone,” but also of a
longing feeling for lost ones as in “Spring Day.” Their songs, like “Dope,”
touch upon sensitive social issues their fans face every day. They try to break
through such constraints, as in “Fire.”

BTS suggests many helpful things to overcome our current
stagnation. In a funny song, “Go Go,” they advise it’s more productive to just
go on rather than stay struggling in life. They even sing philosophically
articulated songs, like “Epiphany,” which describes how young people experience
demotions and struggles to be grownups. It helps one get comforted, as in “I’m
Fine” and “Run.” It eventually drives one to love oneself. They are saying that
it’s “Not Today” to get discouraged.

Yes, I’m a fan of BTS, as you’ve already guessed. Though I’m
not yet so devoted to be called part of the ARMY, I listen to their music —
actually only to their music — almost every day. My first encounter with them
was out of curiosity. One evening last year I watched a TV news clip showing
that lots of Western young women were excited about BTS. I’d seen many Asian
girls who were fans of K-Pop bands up until then, but seldom Western fans. So,
I began watching various kinds of “reaction videos” of the ARMY on YouTube.

In the early days of being a fan, it was more fun to watch
reaction videos than the official boy band music videos. It was an intriguing
phenomenon to me. As a Korean, I kept wondering, “Why are Western youth so
amazed by the band?” Then I began reading their lyrics once mastering all those
music videos. I found myself becoming a fan of the band. I’d fallen in love
with the performance and messages they deliver through those lyrics. They were
just amazing. If I were younger, I would have practiced their wonderful choreography.

One of main factors drawing fans’ attention is surely the
lyrics of BTS’s songs, which are quite different from earlier K-Pop bands who
sang about the routine interests of young people. Instead, they sang of the
hardships, difficulties, resentment, sadness, etc., experienced by so many
youth these days. The lyrics even contain philosophical awakenings.

The song “The Truth Untold” reminds me of Unificationists’
situation in that we speak a message others hardly love to listen to. That
might have been Jesus’ heart when he confronted great disbelief from the
public. I still tremble to go out in the public as I first did in my early
years when people were so mean to me when I was trying to deliver a message.

Another song, “Fake Love,” quickly struck me recalling our
own understanding of “True Love.” And the title of another song, “Blood, Sweat
and Tears,” made me think of a passage True Father used in the earlier version
of My Pledge, “Shedding sweat for earth, tears for humankind, and blood for heaven.”
It sometimes made me wonder if any of the BTS members might be Unificationist?

But at least they may have been influenced by our movement
indirectly without being consciously aware. What matters most to me is that the
message has been already spread to the world. That doesn’t require it being
done by any of us. The vehicle is just different, whether it be a
Unificationist or a boy band, as God used different central figures in every
era.

How did BTS come to headline one of the world’s most iconic
stadiums? Prior to playing a sold out Wembley Stadium, the band and fans
reflect on their path to pop stardom (video courtesy BBC Radio 1, June 11,
2019).

Someone might say, if Rev. Moon is now free from the
limitations of his physical body, why wouldn’t he work with outsiders more
freely. Therefore, the Korean Wave matters globally today, at least for the
youth, who are the people for the years ahead, and who will be on earth longer
than the rest of us.

Actually it’s been quite a while since the Korean
Wave or Hallyu (한류, 韓流) first spread around the world. It’s
represented in many forms of culture such as K-Drama (TV), film, fashion,
cosmetics, and music. The music especially, known as K-Pop, has been very
influential to younger generations. The Korean Wave each year attracts millions
of tourists to South Korea.

Experts cite several reasons why the world is responding to
Korean culture. One is the dramatic development of Korean history. In
particular, Korea has long been the historical victim squeezed among its
powerful neighbors. Such victimhood touches almost half the countries of the
world which had been colonies of stronger countries. According to Divine
Principle, Korea was intentionally driven on the path of providential history.

I was so impressed when I heard a testimony from an early
close disciple to Rev. Moon. She once heard him make a prediction. He said,
“One day the people of the world will rush to Korea to learn the Korean
language.” She confessed she laughed to herself because she couldn’t imagine
such a phenomenon happening in the future, especially when she looked around
the reality of our first church covered by cardboard and dirt.

She realized however at the time of her testimony that such
phenomena were already beginning. Father Moon’s prophecy was already coming
true when the 1988 Summer Olympics were held for the first time in South Korea.
Many international visitors walked the streets of Seoul. But, now I have really
come to believe his prediction because of the phenomena of BTS. The worldwide
ARMY of BTS fans learns Korean in order to read and sing its lyrics.

In 1971, Rev. and Mrs. Moon arrived in the U.S. By 1973-74,
many American young people became excited about the messages they brought of
family values of the Eastern world and the absolute value of God. In a way, I
call them the first generation of fans of the Korean Wave, the ancestors of
today’s K-Culture fans.

A question arises here. How come Korean Culture is suddenly
attractive to the world, especially to young people? Is it because Koreans are
capable to affect the global community? In part, yes, but not entirely. Though
I’ve tried to name a few factors, nothing fully explains this for me except for
the Providence.

As Divine Principle reveals, Korean history has long been
prepared for providential work. Korea should become the model of a new nation
which can reveal the providential work of heaven. From the Bible, we learn many
miraculous stories. Even an army of just a handful of soldiers, “Gideon’s 300
Chosen Men,” was enough to defeat an enemy according to the Bible. Why? It
shows Heaven’s power.

The Israelites are called the “Chosen People” in the Bible
and also the Divine Principle inherits the biblical notion that they would have
been very vulnerable without God’s protection. The people themselves reveal the
existence of God, who has worked through and with them. With God, a mere 300
soldiers can defeat the world of secular power and sovereignty.

I believe it’s now Korea’s turn. To show heaven’s work, many
things should happen mysteriously as the Korean Wave exemplifies. The world
looks at Korea now for many different reasons: the providential interests of
the first generation of fans of the Korean Wave, pure interest of K-Culture
fans, and the curiosity of the world.

With that widespread attraction, Korea should sing and dance
for the world. It’s obligated. What kind of dance should Unificationists perform?
It should be one to build peaceful unification as a model for the new
millennium, so the world can recognize that a peaceful approach is attainable
for the human race. It will be a really hopeful message for the global
community.

The people of the world should not fear human extinction or
global confrontation like world war. People would say, “If Korea has achieved
peaceful reunification by overcoming all kinds of obstacles and difficulties,
why can’t we do that?” I believe many nations will follow Korea’s example. Then
it will fulfill the Will of Heaven: eternal peace on the earth.

Lastly, the leader of BTS, Kim Namjun, spoke at the UN, as
part UNICEF’s campaign, Generation Unlimited. From personal experiences, he
shared many messages with the youth of the world. Of course, BTS fans reacted
to his message over the Internet. They are so influential. So, BTS was able to
speak directly to the people of the world.

I think it’s a golden opportunity for Unificationists to
spread our values to the world. It’s like paving roads that lead to the hearts
of people, especially the youth. From a providential point of view, it’s
preparation for the achievement of the Will of God. Then, one last question
comes to my mind: “Are you influential enough for the world to listen to your
voice?”

What BTS has shown from their success story of starting at
the bottom, much as the Unification movement began from a very humble church,
is that the message is the key attraction. As long as the message makes people
feel touched, moved, and burst into tears, we can be very influential. The
world will listen to us and to our message.

Tonight, try to watch one of the many reaction videos made
by BTS fans. You may get goosebumps from the video if it shows a whole lot of
fans chanting while singing along with BTS in Korean. It’s the very scene that
Rev. Moon predicted in the early years inside his first tiny A-frame church.♦

1 Response

I watched a video of BTS after reading this article and I had a problem to recognize if those 7 singers were boys or girls? Maybe they have a good message in their songs, this is difficult to say for me, since I don’t understand anything they sing. I can understand that they look appealing to young people, but personally I would not like my children to copy their outlook.